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Grounded is an achievement unlockable on the PC, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Vita, Nook, Android, and iOS versions of Plants vs. Zombies. In order to complete this achievement, the player must complete a regular roof stage level without using any lobbed-shot plants. It is worth ten points on Game Center.

Contents

Origins

The word "grounded" refers when an aircraft is removed from flight service or when people are not allowed to socialize or do any activities as a punishment.

Strategies

The Fume-shroom with the Coffee Bean is essential to most strategies, as it ignores the roof's angle. The best way to get it is on Level 5-1 on Quick Play. To get it, you should pick the following (up to eight slots). It is also a good idea to have Roof Cleaners purchased.

As the achievement states, you cannot use catapult plants (Cabbage-pults, Kernel-pults, or Melon-pults, let alone Cob Cannons and Winter Melons). If you have one of them, you cannot achieve this. It is not very different from any other level, so it can be easy. Start planting your Sunflowers first and then you will see a Zombie. It will step on the rake and it will die. Another one will come, so use a Peashooter or a Repeater to shoot it down. Plant four Umbrella Leaves to defend your Sunflowers from Bungee Zombies and later, when you have a lot of sun, use the Gloom-shroom and Garlic, because the Gloom-shroom is technically cheaper and more efficient than a Threepeater. Then, replace the five Peashooters or Repeaters with Sunflowers. Then, when the Garlic is damaged, since it cannot be repaired by the Wall-nut First Aid, use your shovel and then replace them, or let them finally get eaten, but if a Flower Pot gets eaten with one bite after a Garlic gets eaten, put a Flower Pot on a space where a zombie ate it.

Note: This achievement cannot be earned by completing Level 5-5 as it is a bonus level in which no achievements can be earned and this level does not have lobbed-shot plants.

Note: You cannot earn this in Level 5-5, either, although you do not use lobbed-shot plants.

Another strategy

First, build up Sunflowers and use Potato Mines and Squashes to save the sun, until you can afford Fume-shrooms, and use Umbrella Leaves to cover every 3x3 square to protect yourself against Bungee Zombies. Use Pumpkins to protect the front Fume-shrooms from Conehead Zombies.

If you have more slots, use anything you want that is not a lobbed-shot plant. Plant a column of Sunflowers. Use Squash or Potato Mine for the first few zombies. Plant three columns of Fume-shroom and wake them up. If there are Bungee Zombies or Catapult Zombies, use Squash or Jalapeno.

Start by planting Sunflowers (aim for two rows, but save space for Umbrella Leaves if you have it). When the first Zombie comes, he will step on the Garden Rake and die. When the second zombie comes along, use a Potato Mine on him. Remember that Potato Mines take around 15 seconds (approximately three squares for a normal zombie) to pop out of the ground, so plant them early. When the next zombie comes along, depending on the circumstances, you may usually be able to use another Potato Mine on him. If you are playing it a second time, you can use the Imitater Potato Mine (or the Squash, but the Potato Mine is cheaper) on the zombie after that. Keep repeating this process until you find these instant kills are still recharging while zombies are coming. When that happens, plant your Repeaters. Remember to plant them on the first row behind the slanted part of the roof. Slowly upgrade your Repeaters to Gatling Peas. Also, plant Torchwoods protected by Pumpkins around two to three squares in front of your Repeaters or Gatling Peas.

First time in level 5-1

It is actually possible to complete this achievement on the first time, select these plants:

Plant nine Sunflowers over rows one, three, and five. When the first Zombie comes, Squash or Potato Mine him. Then, begin planting Fume-shrooms in rows two and four, covering one, three, and five with one Garlic each. Wake up some of the Fume-shrooms, then add one more to lanes two and four, and continue this until you have eight Fume-shrooms (four in each row) After this, the game is a cakewalk.

Fill in the rest of your empty seed slots with other useful plants that aren't lobbed shot. It is recommended to do this level on 5-1, if possible, because it is the easiest roof level.

In the beginning of the level, plant a Sunflower in the top left corner of the screen. After enough sun has been collected, plant another Sunflower right under it. You should be able to plant one more, and if you can, go ahead. Try to plant as many Sunflowers as you can, going in all the rows, but don't go past the third column. When the first zombie comes, plant a Peashooter in the fifth column of the roof, on the same row. Continue to do that to all of the zombies. If a stronger zombie comes, such as a Conehead Zombie, dig up your Peashooter in that row (if there is one), and plant a Snow Pea. The zombies shouldn't get any stronger than that, but if you need, plant a Repeater or Gatling Pea. The largest threat will be the Bungee Zombies, but they will most likely take your Sunflowers, which are cheap and easy to replace. If a row of zombies gets to tough for you, your fourth column should be open and you can plant a Jalapeno.

Start planting your Sunflowers to the far left and by the time the second zombie comes (the first one should be killed by the garden rake), plant a Fume-shroom and wake it up with a Coffee Bean. Until your Fume-shroom recharges, plant Wall-nuts on the lanes that are not protected. Once you have one Fume-shroom on every lane, make sure to plant Wall-nuts (or Tall-nuts, if you want but Wall-nuts are cheaper) to defend hem. Once that is done, upgrade your Fume-shrooms into Gloom-shrooms. WARNING! Do NOT plant Pumpkins on your Wall-nuts. The fumes from the Gloom-shrooms will not be able to hit the zombies because the Pumpkin makes them farther away from the Gloom-shroom.

Pumpkin Strategy

This gives you lots of sun and you don't need to worry about Bungee Zombies, play it on level 5-1 or the first level of quick play. This can also be easily done on the IOS versions even though they only have nine seed slots.

Play until the first flag. Use Fume-shrooms for the zombies because the fumes can pass through shields and roof slant just like catapult plants. When you finish the first flag, go to achievements and you'll get the Grounded achievement.

1 Pea Shooter Strategy

You need:

Peashooter

Sunflower

Snow Pea

Anything you want

Follow this:

P~Peashooter

SP~Snow Pea

S~Sunflower

F~Flower Pot

S F F F P

S F F F P

S F F F P

S F F F P

S F F F P

When There is Conehead Zombie:

S F F F SP

S F F F SP

S F F F SP

S F F F SP

S F F F SP

This is the starting only of Level 5-1.

Trivia

It is almost necessary to use the Pumpkin because non-lobbed plants have to be planted on the flat, right side which is too close to the zombies (or Wall-nut if the player uses one or more of Squash, Chomper, Potato Mine only instead).

If he or she were to do this achievement on Survival: Roof, the player would only have to do the first flag without catapults in order to get it.

Even if the player uses lobbed-shot plants on the next flag he or she would still earn the achievement. However, it is more than possible to complete Survival: Roof without lobbed-shot plants.

Playing Pogo Party without catapult plants won't get the player this achievement. However, in the iOS and Android versions, the player can get this achievement in Pogo Party.